Monkey, Get Over Here and Take Your Scolding!

The seal was complete, and the exhausted Kushina gasped for air.

"It really worked!"

Hashirama, who was skilled in Yang Release and Medical Ninjutsu, quickly understood Kushina's condition.

Though she was still very weak, her remaining life force was no longer fading. In short, she wouldn't die.

"Kushina, how are you feeling?"

"I'm all right. I—I don't think I have to die anymore!" Kushina felt the seal and the life force within her, and replied with difficulty, her voice full of delighted surprise.

"Really?"

Minato's eyes brimmed with tears. He was overwhelmed with excitement.

Just half a second ago, he'd been ready to form the hand signs and seal the Nine-Tails, dying alongside Kushina.

He hadn't expected things to take such a sudden turn. Now neither of them had to die!

And all it took was sealing the Nine-Tails back inside Kushina. Th-this was almost too simple!

Those despicable Jinchuriki from other villages spread all kinds of rumors every day. They'd made him misjudge the situation and believe that a Jinchuriki was sure to die after having their Tailed Beast extracted!

Tobirama was just as delighted to see this.

But amid his joy, he also thought of the many problems this raised.

He remembered the [Tailed Beast Deterrence System] that Natsu Yuu had mentioned earlier. An environment that was far too peaceful really had left Konoha making no progress at all!

After all these years, Konoha had treated Jinchuriki as nothing more than containers for Tailed Beasts.

They hadn't actively researched them, nor had they tried to gain control over them.

Even now, they didn't know the crucial fact that resealing a Tailed Beast inside its Jinchuriki could prevent the Jinchuriki from dying.

What had Monkey and the others been doing all these years?!

A bunch of incompetents!

If Natsu Yuu hadn't brought Elder Brother and him here, the Fourth Generation and his wife would have died tonight.

It would have been so humiliating if the First Hokage had caused the death of a Hokage while trying to seal the Nine-Tails!

Elder Brother and he had left the Nine-Tails behind because they wanted to help Konoha. How had that turned into the source of Konoha's troubles?

"Thank you! Sir, thank you for telling us!"

"And thank you for your help, First Hokage-sama!"

"Thanks to you, Kushina was able to survive..."

Minato hurriedly thanked Natsu Yuu and Hashirama, expressing his heartfelt gratitude. Without their help, he might really have died alongside Kushina.

They'd quite literally saved his life!

"Ha ha ha! It was nothing. You're both excellent young shinobi of the village. You shouldn't have died here. Come to think of it, the Nine-Tails really is far too powerful! Ha ha ha..."

Hashirama rubbed his head and laughed bashfully.

The others were at a loss for words. They even felt a little sorry for the Nine-Tails.

"But, First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, how did you end up here?"

"That's a bit complicated to explain."

Hashirama and Tobirama looked toward Natsu Yuu, as if asking the Sage for permission to tell Minato the truth.

But Natsu Yuu said, "Fourth Hokage, take your wife and child home first. I'll explain what's going on after you return."

Minato glanced at the exhausted Kushina and baby Naruto, his heart swelling with gratitude.

"All right! I'll be back soon."

With that, he picked up Kushina and Naruto and disappeared in a flash using the Flying Thunder God.

"Sir, are we really allowed to interact with shinobi from the future?"

"It's fine to meet some of the village's key figures, but it's best not to reveal yourselves to too many people. You can only stay at this point in time for a limited while."

"Understood!"

Tobirama grasped the situation at once, already making plans in his head.

Then he immediately turned and shouted at the figures not far away:

"Monkey, get over here and take your scolding!"

At that moment,

with Minato gone, the barrier was gradually coming down.

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been waiting anxiously outside the barrier, finally heard Tobirama's voice and sensed the familiar chakra.

This wasn't a dream!

It really was the First Hokage-sama and Second Hokage-sama!

He'd already guessed Hashirama's identity when he saw the [Gate of the Great God] and [Wood Style] effortlessly subdue the Nine-Tails.

Across the entire Ninja World, only the God of Shinobi could wield such power—aside from the Uchiha.

How had they been revived?

Had Minato secretly used [Impure World Reincarnation]? But he shouldn't have learned that Forbidden Jutsu. Besides, Reanimated Ninja couldn't possibly possess such power!

Tobirama's scolding interrupted all the questions swirling in Hiruzen's mind.

There was no helping it.

He immediately ordered the surrounding Direct Anbu and shinobi to stay back, then quickly leaped over to the three of them.

"First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, it really is you!"

Hiruzen cried out. Memories of the past came flooding back, and his eyes began to sting.

"Monkey, it really is you. You've aged quite a bit!"

Tobirama was also filled with emotion. After all, he'd parted ways with Hiruzen only an hour ago, appointing him to succeed as the Third Hokage.

Now, in the blink of an eye, he was seeing Hiruzen as an old man decades later.

It was truly remarkable.

"Second Hokage-sama, how is this possible? Did someone summon you with a Forbidden Jutsu?"

"Monkey, your senses have grown dull. Does this body of ours look like the result of a summoning?"

"Ah! Don't tell me you've both been revived? But..."

"We'll explain the details after the Fourth Hokage returns."

"But, Monkey, why are you here alone? Where are Danzo and the others?"

"Danzo, Koharu, and the others should still be in the village, directing rescue efforts..." Hiruzen immediately explained.

"What about Kagami?"

As soon as Tobirama asked about Kagami Uchiha, Hiruzen panicked, a sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Kagami died?"

Tobirama could see through Hiruzen's hesitation and instantly guessed the truth.

"Yes."

"How did he die?"

"Near the end of the First Shinobi World War, he died covering our retreat."

"After I stayed behind to face the Kinkaku Force?"

"Yes. The Cloud Ninja pursued us as we retreated..."

Kagami's death really had been an accident.

He'd volunteered to stay behind and cover their retreat.

At the time, Danzo, Hiruzen, and Kagami had been comrades who'd risked their lives for one another. There was no way they would have plotted against a teammate.

Back then, Danzo hadn't yet become so depraved that he would betray his comrades. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to sacrifice himself to cover their retreat.

He'd been too afraid to say it aloud in the end, but the thought itself proved the conviction and resolve he'd possessed back then.

But...

After the war, Anbu had quietly recovered and buried Kagami's body. When they discovered that his [Sharingan] had 'mysteriously' disappeared, Hiruzen had more or less guessed who had taken it.

That was why Hiruzen had been so uneasy when Tobirama asked about Kagami.

"Defiling a comrade's corpse" wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

And it was his fault for always indulging Danzo. He'd tacitly allowed the matter to be kept quiet.

Otherwise, the Uchiha would have made a scene long ago. The Uchiha Clan had rules about collecting the eyes of fallen clan members, too. When Madara left Konoha, he'd taken a large number of [Sharingan] with him...

"I see!"

Tobirama nodded, understanding dawning on him.

Now everything made sense.

No wonder Konoha was so wary of the Uchiha and had ordered them not to engage the Nine-Tails.

Without Kagami serving as a high-ranking Konoha official and acting as a mediator, it was only natural that the Uchiha Clan's temperament would drive them farther and farther away from the village.

Tobirama had always known that there was a faction of hard-line extremists within the Uchiha who followed Madara. Combined with the Uchiha's own temperament...

Without anyone to mediate and bring them together, trouble was bound to arise sooner or later!

But...

Tobirama had never imagined that Kagami would die so young!

His death had thrown all his plans for integrating the Uchiha Clan into disarray...

Fortunately, he was alive now, and he had knowledge of the future. Once he returned, he'd be able to change this outcome!

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